DPD expansion creates new jobs

Posted on 18/06/2013 by Wayne Brophy FCILT

The UK’s number one parcel distribution company, DPD, has recently invested £3.7 million for the construction of four new depots. The new distribution centres, located in Sheffield, Norfolk, Teesside and Smethwick, will create 125 jobs. DPD’s expansion will substantially increase its capacity to handle business-to-consumer (B2C) parcel volumes.

At the moment, DPD handles 1.6 million parcels per week and employs 6,700 people throughout the UK.

Over the past four years, DPD has shown consistent growth. Since 2009, sales have increased by over 50 per cent, with home delivery largely contributing to increased order volumes. The company’s advance notification service, called Predict, has played a major role in DPD’s success. Predict takes much of the guesswork out of deliveries by giving shoppers a one hour window in which the parcel is expected to arrive – a highly appealing service for office workers and on-the-go individuals.

"Our B2C parcel business has grown significantly in the last few years – making DPD the fastest growing parcel company in the UK,” said chief executive officer of DPD, Dwain McDonald. “The popularity of our Predict service helped us win over £70 million of new business from online retailers last year and we will continue to plough that back into the business to ensure our technology, infrastructure and service are the best in the market.”

Approximately 45 new jobs will be stationed at DPD’s forthcoming Snetterton (Norfolk) centre. The three acre site is expected to cost £1.2 million to build, and substantially increase the courier’s capacity for East Anglian orders. Once the distribution facility is completed, DPD will extend its services to Ipswich and Felixstowe.

DPD will invest £1.2 million in a 36,000 sq ft site in Sheffield to consolidate existing facilities within the city with Barnsley’s distribution centre. The new depot will increase DPD’s capacity in the north and improve response times by utilising state-of-the-art sorter technology.

The upcoming site in Teesside will help DPD manage its operations throughout the north-east and bring 30 new jobs to the region. In total, the centre is expected to cost about £750,000 and span 26,000 sq ft, or 2.5 acres. The new depot will allow 55 new routes to be added across the area.

To cater to consumers in the Midlands, DPD has invested £500,000 to build a new facility in Smethwick. There, an additional 45 new jobs will be created.

In conclusion, Mr McDonald said: "Our new purpose built depots give us a huge advantage in terms of vehicle access and sorter technology, meaning we can increase the number of parcels we handle and service more routes cost effectively. This scale of investment in infrastructure, technology and people is key to ensuring that we continue to provide top quality service to customers now and in the future."